Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate with those we love and remember all of the things that we’re grateful for. In today’s Wildwood Park Blog post, we have some fun facts about Thanksgiving to get you in the mood for the holidays to come. Enjoy the celebrations and family time in your apartment this year here in Arlington, VA.
— The town of Plymouth, Massachusetts celebrates Forefathers’ Day in honor of the people who founded Plymouth colony in 1769 on December 11th every year.
— Indian corn is only used for decoration. It’s too hard to cook with.
— The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade took place in 1924.
— The male turkey often referred to as "Tom Turkey” because Thomas Jefferson was the one who opposed the idea of having a turkey as our national bird.
— The first Thanksgiving in 1621 was believed to have lasted 3 whole days.
— According to the Butterball corporation, they recommend that you thaw a wrapped turkey in the refrigerator for one day per 4 pounds of bird.
— The tribe of Indians who were invited to the Thanksgiving feast were The Wampanoag tribe. Their chief was named Massasoit.
— The Mayflower was the ship that the pilgrims came over on. The captain of that ship was Christopher Jones.
— Thanksgiving became a national holiday thanks to Sarah Hale, who hand wrote letters to Congress for years to establish Thanksgiving. She was an editor of a woman's magazine called "The Godey's Lady's Book".
— Before being harvested and sold, an individual cranberry must bounce at least 4 inches high to make sure they aren't too ripe.
— The busiest travel day of the year is the Friday after Thanksgiving.
— The first meal on the moon was eaten by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin was a roasted turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
— Felix the Cat was the first balloon in the 1927 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
— Turkeys can drown if they look up in the rain.
— The following towns with "turkey" in their names are real towns in the United States: Turkey, Texas; Turkey Creek, Louisiana; and Turkey, North Carolina.
What’s your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments below and enjoy the holidays!